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The Barnes & Noble Review
In this Anita Blake novel, Laurell K. Hamilton unleashes the mother of all bombshells -- the sexy necromancer and vampire executioner could be with child! But with seven supernatural studs as regular lovers, just who is the father?
After a missed period, Anita takes a home pregnancy test, and it comes up positive. And, as usual with Anita, complications arise at the very worst of times. One of her lovers, the Master Vampire Jean-Claude, is throwing a party for a traveling dance company made up almost entirely of undead bloodsuckers -- and he has invited numerous other Master Vampires to attend. The historic occasion is the largest gathering of Master Vampires in American history and could be a pivotal event in the attempts to unite the fragmented factions. But with so many commanding supernatural beings gathered in one place, Anita's ardeur -- a supernatural sexual hunger that is always looking to be sated -- begins evolving once again, and actively seeking out the most powerful lovers…
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Laurell K. Hamilton should be profoundly touched. The genre-transcendent success of her Anita Blake novels has spawned a whole new subgenre of dark fantasy, romance, and mystery hybrids. Just as Marmee Noir is the creator of the vampiric civilization in the Anita Blake universe, Hamilton too is the very first of her kind -- and Danse Macabre is a perfect example of her continuing mastery, combining knotty supernatural plotlines with unadulterated eroticism. Cold shower advised after reading. Paul Goat Allen
Denver Post
The eroticism and the 'dramedy' of complicated relationships between shapeshifting lovers sets Hamilton's novels apart from the rest of the pack . . . Hamilton really does come off like the genre's answer to Henry Miller.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Hamilton just keeps getting better and better.
News Press
The 'it' girl for bloodsuckers, werewolves, wereleopards and assorted undead types.
Publishers Weekly
The uniquely complicated life of Anita Blake, the St. Louis-based necromancer, gets even more complicated when Anita discovers she may be pregnant in the 14th novel in bestseller Hamilton's vampire hunter series (Micah, etc.). Her sexual magic powers require multiple lovers, so there are six potential fathers. One possible dad, werewolf Richard, has trouble understanding that, baby or not, Anita's still a federal marshal who raises the dead and executes vampires. In addition, terrifying, life-threatening obstetrical challenges are involved, since the maybe-mommy has to deal with vampirism and several strains of lycanthropy coursing through her veins. That Anita has no detecting to do may disappoint some fans, but playing hostess to a gathering of North American vampire Masters of the City, ostensibly in town for a performance by a vampiric ballet troupe, keeps her plenty busy. When the vampire ballet takes the stage toward the end, several new plot elements emerge. The very lack of a finale suggests that there's no end in sight for this fabulously imagined series. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
The events of this latest entry in the "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series take place over one weekend. The incredibly handsome Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the city of St. Louis and Anita's first lover, has invited fellow Masters from throughout the country to attend a gathering at his place. The ardeur, a power fueled by sex, is rapidly gaining strength. In order to satisfy the craving it produces, Anita must find a new lover to add to her list of seven. To complicate matters, just as the weekend begins, Anita thinks she might be pregnant. Besides wondering how she could fit a child into her unconventional life, she tries to figure out which one of her preternatural partners could be the father. Hamilton (Micah) writes well and shares interesting insights into Anita's relationship with other characters. As in the more recent series novels, graphic sex is abundant. For Anita Blake fans and those who enjoy erotic romance.-Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Columbia, MD Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
From the Publisher
Anita Blake [is] a 'Tom(asina) Jones' for the 21st century if ever there was one. (Star-Ledger)
Erotic and evocative. (Best Reviews)
Page-turners with a little bite to them. (Austin American-Statesman)
